Identify the logical fallacy in the following
arguments. Consult the Logical Fallacies Handlist in the
Course Packet or online at Logical
Fallacies Handlist.

1. Friedrich Nietzche's attack on social welfare
should not be taken seriously. He is said to have been a
degenerate and it is a fact that he went insane.

2. You can be sure of getting the best watch
possible if you buy a Tempus Fugit watch, because you will
be buying the world's greatest watch.

3. I guess I will receive a C on my next English
paper because the teacher said my average was a C so far,
so the chances must be that I'll get a C on the next one.

4. You will get pregnant if you kiss a boy.
I've seen Sally kiss boys three times, and now she is pregnant.

5. My honesty is a matter of record. My enemies
have tried to bring similar charges against me before, but
they couldn't prove anything that stands up in court. That
proves I am an honest man.

6. Just answer the question yes or no. Were
you still selling drugs when you came to this town?

7. Senator Jones shouldn't be blamed for having
sex with teenage girls. After all, other senators have done
much worse things.

8. How can you justify giving this man life
imprisonment by declaring him guilty of murder? After all,
since that time he has become a devout Christian and proven
to be an exemplary prisoner during the whole time he was
on trial.

9. I have been a member of the NAACP for
ten years. My son cannot possibly be a bigot.

10. American citizens must raise taxes to
support schools. Without more money, our schools cannot
possibly do a good job.

11. Rare taste: you either have taste or you
don't. (Scotch ad)

12. In this freedom-loving land of ours, beer
belongs. Exercise your American freedom and enjoy beer.

13. Bob True is the best qualified candidate
for tax assessor. I've known him eight years and he is an
honorable man, a devout individual, and an outstanding father.

14. Men are all alike: selfish creatures who
spend every weekend glued to a television tube.

15. The pinkos, socialistic liberals, and
weirdos in that other department are naturally against my
legislative reforms.

16. I interviewed the entire third floor of
my dorm, and my research shows that most of the people at
this university go home on weekends.

17. He is using unfair arguments because none
of his arguments are equitable. Because they are not equitable,
they are not just, and hence, unfair.

18. Alien abductions must take place because
no one has found any evidence to disprove the eye-witness
accounts.

19. We must put God back in our schools, or
else American society will degenerate.

20. You cannot listen to Rush Limbaugh's ideas
because he is a conservative. Conservative speaker's ideas
are not worth listening to. Since Limbaugh is conservative,
you cannot listen to his ideas.

21. We should not allow legislation to ban
tobacco. After all, tobacco has been sold for 200 years
in America. So, we have no reason to ban it now.

22. Your honor, the defendant must be guilty
because no one can prove his innocence.

23. Susan passed Writing 121. Joey passed
Writing 121. Kory passed Writing 121. Writing 121 must be
an easy class, since three out of three students I know
passed it.

24. In spite of what some say, the number
of the poor is rising in America because there is no evidence
to suggest that number is decreasing.

25. You may tell me that it is cruel to require
students to learn Latin. But is it any less cruel to require
them to enroll in physical education courses? The mental
strains of mastering a dead language pale beside the rigors
of athletics.

26. Bicycles are a means of transportation,
and we all know that transportation is vital to American
commerce. If we get rid of all the current bike lanes, there
will be less bikes, hence less transportation. Getting rid
of bicycle lanes would cripple American trade entirely.

27. Why should responsible adults who are
eighteen be given extended credit? Because people who are
adults are mature, and anyone who is mature is responsible
enough to have control of money.

Section of Fiendish Difficulty.
Some of the following sentences are logical fallacies, and
some aren't. Which do you think constitute logical fallacies
and which are logically valid?

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